1. Field
This document relates to an apparatus for obtaining 3D content, and more particularly, to an apparatus which effectively obtains a 3D image by combining a depth information detection solution and a general 2D image, the solution consisting of pattern lighting using a light beam and a beam receiving sensor.
2. Related Art
Studies on user interfaces that accurately reflect users' intentions by simple and natural user motions are actively underway. Taking a simple example, a keyboard or mouse may be a tool for a user interface, and products using screen touch have been attracting attention recently.
Regarding virtual reality, research on motion recognition technologies as means for user interfaces is continuously ongoing. There have been developed methods such as the recognition of a user's spatial motion via a motion controller having an accelerometer, the recognition of a user's motion by analyzing an image obtained through two or more cameras (image sensors), and the recognition of a user's motion by combining a motion controller and a camera image.
As a rule, the use of a single image sensor enables second-dimensional image analysis. Thus, in order to obtain distance or depth information, two or more image sensors should be used. Otherwise, if a single image sensor is used, a user making a motion has to hold a motion controller. In the latter case, too, three-dimensional analysis of only the location of the motion controller is possible.
With the development of 3D display technology, techniques associated with imaging devices for obtaining 3D content are getting a lot of attentions recently. A currently widely used 3D image capture and display method is, as shown in FIG. 1, to simultaneously capture images with two or more identical cameras (each consisting of a lens and a sensor) at different visual angles, compare the images to obtain a general 2D image and depth information based on the visual angle difference, and reconfigure it into two images for a left-eye and a right-eye and display them on a 3D display device.
In the above-mentioned method, a plurality of 2D images with a fixed visual angle difference are used to create depth information by calculation. This may cause many errors, and require two or more cameras, each consisting of an expensive lens and a sensor, especially, for a high-resolution image, thereby placing imaging equipment in a high price range. As long as depth information can be directly obtained, many problems occurring in obtaining 3D content can be solved.